The Los Angeles Lakers had a lot of important decisions to make this offseason when it comes to their roster, but one that seemed to be set in stone was bringing back backup center Jaxson Hayes.
Hayes has played well in a limited role for the Lakers and has built nice chemistry with Luka Doncic as a lob threat. Despite that being the case though, the Lakers are losing Hayes to the Utah Jazz in free agency, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN:
Source: The Jazz are signing former Lakers center Jaxson Hayes to a two-year, $12 million deal. The second season is a team option.
— Tim MacMahon (@BannedMacMahon) July 1, 2026
Hayes made around $3.45 million last season, so the Jazz are giving him a slight raise on his new deal, as the Lakers also did a year ago. After the 2025-26 season ended, Hayes expressed a desire to remain with the team but now will be moving on to a new team.
It’s no secret that center was a huge need for the Lakers going into the offseason and they helped address by bringing in Walker Kessler. L.A. also still has Deandre Ayton, who is expected to shift into a backup role. Because of that, there wasn’t really room to bring back Hayes.
In 66 games (nine starts) for the Lakers last season, Hayes put up 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists while shooting a ridiculous 75.6% from the field in 18.3 minutes per game. He will likely have a similar role for the Jazz in this upcoming season depending on what other moves get made in free agency.
Jaxson Hayes obtained Slovenian passport to play with Luka Doncic
Hayes will not continue playing with Doncic on the Lakers, but he will still play with him on his national team as the big man recently obtained a Slovenian passport.
Neither Doncic nor Hayes will suit up for Slovenia in FIBA World Cup qualifiers this summer but both should be on the team for big tournaments moving forward, including the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
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